Viña Cobos is proving the great moment Argentine wines have shown in recent years. This country has seen an impressive progress internationally as it produces premium wines that compete directly with traditional wineries in Europe and the United States.
This phenomenon occurred after the expansion of the Malbec strain, which in just 20 years went from total neglect to international acclaim. It is currently one of most coveted grapes in all markets.
In this context, the young winery Viña Cobos, in the province of Mendoza, became the first in all of Latin America to produce a wine evaluated with 100 points by the renowned international critic James Sukling, former editor of Wine Spectator Magazine for more than 30 years.
Viña Cobos’ testing room.
This firm, with nearly 20 years of history, was founded by three passionate winemakers. Together, they relied on the extraordinary qualities of the Argentine terroir and the unique characteristics of the Malbec grape. One is the American star winemaker Paul Hobbs, who has worked for the most respected wineries in the world and—since 1991—is the owner of a California winery.
Hobbs, along with Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud, founded Viña Cobos, to produce high-quality wines from the proper interpretation of the terroir and respect for the grape strain.
Viña Cobos’ barrel room.
The wines made from the oldest vines—over 80 years old—at Finca Marchiori enjoy unique prestige. A careful harvest selection at the farm yields between 400 and 500 cases per year of its two main labels: Cobos Malbec and Cobos Volturno, which represent the top end of the winery’s production.
Cobos Malbec is a wine of intense and complex aromas, deep red and violet tones. Its taste reveals light nuances of red fruits, cassis, plum, snuff, coconut, dark chocolate, white pepper and a subtle presence of cardamom. It is a wine of great freshness with a velvety body and long finish that reveals an excellent balance.
For its part, cabernet sauvignon is the main component of the exquisite Cobos Volturno. It shows an intense ruby red color and aromas of red fruits, lead, gunpowder, and chocolate. In the mouth, we find a significant presence of red fruits and licorice, chocolate acidity and clear mineral presence, supported by spicy pepper.
Luis Barraud, Andrea Marchiori and Paul Hobbs.
Year after year, these two labels have scores between 93 and 98 points in all international trade publications such as Robert Parker and Wine Spectator. But the biggest prize came with the 2011 vintage of Malbec when the prestigious international critic Sukling rated it as a 100-point wine.
Viña Cobos is a remarkable example of the unbelievable evolution of Argentina’s wine industry in the production of premium wines, awarded with scores of excellence among leading international critics. ■
